Final Fantasy XIII 1. Death Row

An armored bus zoomed down the interstate, heading towards a massive bridge that passed over the crystal blue ocean water and led to a small island on the other side. The bus shook slightly as it hit a bump coming onto the bridge, shaking the passengers inside. Inside, sat eight people, four sitting on a bench on each side of the bus. Every one of them with handcuffs locking their wrists.

They were all different. Some were young, some were old. Some looked frighten, some looked threatening.

But, there was only one woman.

The woman sat at the end of the metal bench, her handcuffed hands lying on her pants-covered thighs. Her pink-hair was messy, looking as if it hadn't been combed in some time. Her spiky bangs fell over her face. Her blank blue eyes were locked on the dirty floor of the bus.

"_Happy Birthday, Lightning!"_

_Suddenly, the lights flicked on, revealing the small group of people that were hiding behind the couch in the living room of her home. _

_Her eyes widened, just now realizing what today was. How could she forget her own birthday? No wonder Lieutenant Amador was adamant about letting her leave work early. _

_Her sister ran up to her and gave her a hug. "Happy birthday, sis! Hope you don't mind that we wanted to throw you a surprise party!"_

_A small smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, Serah."_

_It was a small party, only the NORA members were there. Over the past few years, she had grown to like the group. Now, they were the closest thing she had to a family. _

"_Well, what are you waiting for, Sis!?" Snow, Serah's fiancé, questioned her with a grin._

"_Yeah, let's have some fun!" Her sister announced before grabbing her hand and dragging her into the kitchen, everyone else following them._

_It was then when she saw something strange. _

_Even though the sun had gone down, she could see that something was outside the large glass window in the kitchen. Her eyes squinted, trying to get a better look at it. _

_It almost looked like a person…But, that would be impossible. Their house was on stilts. There's no way someone could be outside their window unless they were floating._

_But, the closer she looked at it, the more she realized that it actually _was_ a person._

"_What the hell…?" She muttered, staring wide-eyed as she stopped while everyone else went into the kitchen, not noticing what she was looking at._

_An eerie grin spread across the figure's face before it suddenly threw its arms out, strange streaks of crimson shot at the window, shattering it and sending giant shards of glass towards them._

"_Get down!" She yelled and quickly pushed Serah down before her vision went black._

The bus began to slow down. Outside the barred window, a giant colorful building came into view. It had a very carnival feel to it. Majority of the building was painted crimson with various decorations on the sides. Flags waved from the strange towers attached to it.

"_Ugh…" She mumbled as she regained consciousness._

_When she opened her eyes and sat up, she saw that the kitchen had been completed destroyed. The window was blown out, glass all over the place. The island in the middle was knocked over and the cabinets were hanging off the walls. _

_She reached up to touch her forehead but paused, noticing the blood all over her hand. But, it wasn't hers._

_She glanced next to her, only to see Snow's lifeless eyes staring back at her, shards of glass escaping from his body and a puddle of blood underneath him._

"_Oh my god…" She jumped away from his body, her eyes wide in shock._

_Her eyes shot around the room, noticing the bodies of the people who she considered family, scattered about._

"_Is this really happening…?" She whispered to herself in disbelief. _

_Wait. Where was Serah?_

"_Serah!" She shouted desperately, stumbling to her feet and quickly turning around only for her mouth to drop at what she saw._

_The man that was outside the window stood right in front of her, a tuft of pink bloodstained hair in his grip and hanging from that was Serah's decapitated head, the expression of fear frozen on her face._

_"S-Serah?" She stammered, tears beginning to fill her eyes before they shot to the man._

_Large shoulder plates rested on the armor suit that the man was wearing, each dark green and with a strange pattern engraved in them. A tattered white cape swayed as the gusts of wind blew through the shattered window. Most of his face was covered by a green plate that wrapped around his eyes and nose like a mask, leaving only that sadistic smile visible._

"_You…monster!" She screamed as she rushed towards the murderer with watery eyes. _

_Dropping Serah's head, the man caught her incoming fist, his smile growing wider. Before she could react, a red light shined from the man's other palm before he slammed it against her chest._

"_Agh!" She stumbled backwards, gripping her chest tightly, feeling an intense pain that she had never felt before. _

_The last thing she saw before she fell unconscious was the person disappearing._

The bus came to a halt. Seconds later, the doors flew open, revealing a large guard dressed in a dark blue suit that resembled a military uniform with a matching beret on his head. He flashed them a smirk.

"Welcome to your new home, inmates."

One by one, they shuffled out of the bus, jumping down to the concrete ground before heading towards the dark, underground passageway that lead into the prison.

The woman was the last in line. She glanced up, reading the massive sign above them.

It read in giant letters: "L'Cie Wonderland."

_Her eyes shot open only to be blinded by the bright fluorescent lights in the room. She sat up with a jolt from the bed, glancing around the room as her vision began to focus. _

_She was in a hospital. _

_She looked down, seeing her hands locked in handcuffs._

"_What the hell?" She mumbled then looked up when a group of men barged into the room._

_A man in a suit and two Guardian Corps soldiers, one of them being Lieutenant Amador. Seeing her lieutenant further fed her confusion._

"_Sir! What's going on? Why am I in handcuffs!?" She asked as she lifted up her cuffed hands, not understanding what was happening._

_When the trio reached her, she noticed the grim expression on her superior's face._

"_Bennett." Amador addressed the other soldier, seemingly ignoring her._

"_Sir." Bennett acknowledged the lieutenant before stepping forward. "Lightning Farron, you are under arrest for suspected mass murder."_

_Her eyes widened in complete shock. "Mass murder?!" She clenched her fists, glaring at the soldier. "What the hell are you talking about!? I didn't kill anyone!" Her eyes shot over to Amador. "You don't believe this, Sir?"_

_Amador looked at her; she saw a flash of sadness in his eyes before they went cold. "You know, Farron, I didn't want to believe it at first. But, the evidence is there."_

"_What evidence!?" She shouted with frustration, not caring whether she was being respectful to her superior. She didn't commit murder. So, what evidence could they possibly have?_

_The lieutenant frowned. "The 12 bodies we found in your home, one of them being your own sister."_

_She froze as her eyes widened, images flashing across her vision._

_Her birthday party. Broken glass. Dead Snow. Serah's decapitated head. The Green man._

"_It was real…" She murmured to herself in disbelief, looking down at her hands.  
_

_She was knocked out of her realization when Bennett grabbed her out of the hospital bed, beginning to drag her out of the room._

"_Wait! It wasn't me! Someone attacked us!" She desperately looked at Amador. "Sir, you have to believe me! Why would I kill them!? Why would I kill my own sister!?" She shouted as she dug her heels into the ground, trying to stop the soldier from taking her._

"_I can't, Farron."_

_That was a blow to her._

_Her commanding officer, the man that she looked up to as a father figure, didn't even believe her. He knew she would never do anything like this. She was a soldier, not a killer. But, why wouldn't he believe her?_

_Then she remembered the injury she received from the murderer. "I have proof! He attacked me!" She lifted up her handcuffed hands and quickly ripped open her hospital gown just enough so the top of her chest was visible._

"_Look, ther-" She paused when she looked down only to see that there was no wound at all. It was as if she was completely unharmed._

_Her face fell. "No…"_

"_That is enough, Farron!" Amador's voice boomed, his patience finally reaching its maximum. "Your trial will be in a few days. Until then, you will be in Guardian Corps custody. Take her away, Bennett." He ordered the soldier, shaking his head._

_With that, the soldier dragged her out of the hospital and into the back of a Guardian Corps truck._

Lightning and the men that were in the bus with her all stood in a line against the wall of the hallway, their hands no longer in handcuffs. They were forced to change into a dark green jumpsuit with the "L'Cie Wonderland" logo - which resembled a barcode - stitched on breast of it. Each of them wore a thick grey collar wrapped around their necks.

"_I hereby sentence the defendant, Lightning Farron, to death."_

_Her mouth dropped. "This can't be happening…"_

The sound of heels hitting against the floor, echoed through the hallway.

"Ah, new inmates." A blonde haired woman said with a eerie smile as she stopped before them.

A beret covered most of her long blonde hair. She wore a dark blue guard jacket, a matching tie and a white undershirt underneath. Her white pants were tucked into her knee high heeled boots. And a holstered gun hung at her side.

"Welcome to L'Cie Wonderland. I am Jilh Naabat, chief guard."

She began to pace back and forth, gazing at them as she walked past them. "As most of you know, this private prison was built in the same place the Great Earthquake occurred. And, it isn't your typical prison either. It doubles as an amusement park which is run by you, the inmates."

She pointed to the bags that each of them held in their hands. "We were nice enough to give you the bare essentials in that bag."

"But, the most important thing I need to tell you is about those collars…They are how we identify you. But, more importantly, they constantly inject you with poison. In your bags, you have one piece of "candy." Eat it every three days and you will live. If you don't, you will die. It's as simple as that. " She smirked sadistically. "However, it's up to you to find out how to get more of it."

"Any quest-"

Just as Jilh spoke, a silver-haired boy with a cart full of boxes and crates rolled in front of them. The cart was so full that the boy was hidden behind all of the boxes, leaving him blind to where he was going. One of the cart's wheels rolled over Lightning's foot, knocking her out of her trance-like state.

Out of instinct, she grabbed the boy by his jumpsuit before slamming him against the wall, pinning him with her arm against his neck. The boy's light blue-green eyes were wide in fear and shock.

"Watch it…" Lightning growled.

"S-Sorry!" He quickly apologized with fear.

"Now, that's quite enough." She heard Jilh say before she felt a strong electric current flow in her neck before it traveled through her body, causing her to release the boy and collapse to the floor, her body involuntarily shaking.

Jilh's heeled boots came into view from her position on the floor. "Haven't even been here for five minutes and you're already starting fights…"

Lightning glared up at her only to see a smirk on Jilh's face.

"I think you'll fit in just nicely here."

* * *

**Author's Note**

I got this idea because I watched Deadman Wonderland recently. I thought it would be interesting to have Lightning and co. be Deadmen. For those who haven't watched Deadman Wonderland, let me explain and hopefully don't spoil anything just in case you want to watch it:

In the show, Deadman Wonderland is a private prison that doubles as an amusement park. The park is run by the inmates. For entertainment, the inmates compete in extremely dangerous games in order to prolong their lives in the prison. To the outside, it seems like just special effects. But, to the inmates, it is very real.

Deadmen are people that were effected by a certain explosion. The explosion was covered up by calling it the "Great Earthquake." They didn't want people to know the actual cause of it. The explosion caused them to develop the ability to use their blood as weapons. Some can turn it into blades or shoot it like bullets. The Deadmen are locked in a secret part of the prison.

In this story, the Deadmen will be called L'Cie instead but they will have the same kind of blood powers that the Deadmen do.

Also, Lightning will seem darker in this story because of what happened. It messed her up a bit.

Anyway, I love feedback so please review and let me know what you think!


	2. Day One

Lightning leaned against a metal wall, observing her fellow inmates as they worked to finish construction on one of the buildings next to the L'Cie Wonderland tower, the large tower that over looked prison grounds. On top of the tower was a giant crimson sphere, the words "L'Cie Wonderland" attached to the face of it.

Her eyes drifted to the dirt-covered ground.

Actually, she still was in shock.

She was in prison and on death row.

Her sister and all her friends were dead.

Just a few days ago, she was one of the best soldiers in the Guardian Corps. She was in line for a promotion. Her and her sister's relationship was also going smoothly. They fell off a bit when Serah announced she was engaged to Snow. But, she soon realized Snow wasn't as bad of a guy as she thought and gave them her blessing.

Everything was going great.

And then, her life completely fell apart.

Her fists unconsciously clenched tightly. She will never forget that wild grin on the killer's face after he killed everyone she cared for. He _will _pay. She will find a way to get her revenge and make him suffer.

"Well, what do we have here?" A man's taunting voice caused her to glance up, noticing that three male inmates had surrounded her.

Her eyes glared at the man in the middle, the one who had spoken to her.

"Isn't she the bitch that went crazy and murdered her family?" One of the other men questioned with a smirk.

Lightning frowned, her fists clenching tighter. "I didn't kill anyone."

The man in the middle laughed out loud before he replied with sarcasm. "Sure, you didn't." He then stepped in closer to her, a sick grin on his face. "I gotta' know. How was it to kill everyone you knew? Slicing through their flesh, seeing their shocked fac-"

Before the man could speak anymore, Lightning's fist struck his face, a loud crunching sound filling the air. The man shouted out in pain as he stumbled back, holding his profusely bleeding nose.

"Don't say another fucking word!" She snarled, her eyes glaring daggers.

"You bitch!" He sneered, blood running down his chin. "Get her!"

The two inmates quickly closed in on her. Lightning fell into a fighting stance, her fists up and ready to attack. She wasn't going to let anyone in this prison beat her. She wasn't going to give these low-life criminals the satisfaction of beating her up or whatever else they planned on doing. The last thing she wanted to show was weakness.

Just as one of the men pulled back his fist, a pink-haired girl, seeming to have fallen out of the sky, slammed the bottom of her black platform shoe against his chest causing him to fly backwards and tumble to the ground.

Lightning's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

The young girl landed gracefully on the ground before turning her head slightly, her almost devious sea-blue eyes glancing back at Lightning, a grin spreading across her face.

Most of the girl's rose colored hair was in a side pony tail while long pieces fell along the sides of her face and her spiky bangs sticking out some. She was dressed in all black. Over her black dress, she wore a long sleeveless coat, the collar lined with studs. Her legs were covered in thigh-high stockings with black platform shoes on her feet and wore black arm sleeves that went to her upper bicep.

"What the hell?" The last man's frustrated voice causing the girl to turn her attention to him. "You're gonna' pay!"

The girl let out a childish giggle before she kneed the incoming man in the gut so hard that the man just collapsed to the ground.

"Hm, I'd thought you would've lasted longer…Guess you really were weak." She said in a somewhat disappointed tone.

Even though the fight had ended, Lightning continued to stare at the girl in confusion. It wasn't the fact that she had literally came out of nowhere that puzzled her, even though that was part of it. It was who she looked like. Apart from the clothing and hairstyle, the girl resembled exactly what she had looked like when she was a teenager.

It was so bizarre. How could that be possible?

"Who are you?" She demanded.

The girl turned to her, a brief glimpse of sadness flashed across her eyes before it was replaced by childish annoyance. She crossed her arms and pouted. "How could you not remember me, Claire!? Sometimes, you're so stupid."

Lightning froze. She called her by her real name. No one has called her that in years. How could this girl that she has never met before know her real name?

"How do you know that name?" Lightning asked, growing more suspicious.

The girl skipped over to the ex-soldier, grabbing her hands in her own and grinning. "We're best friends, silly!" She leaned closer to the woman and whispered into her ear with a smirk. "I know everything about you."

Lightning snatched her hands away from the girl, stepping back and frowning. "I've never met you before."

"Hey! What's going over there!?" They heard one of the guards nearby shout.

The girl took a quick look at the approaching guards then looked back at Lightning. "Looks like it's time for me to go! My name's Lumina. Maybe that'll help you remember something."

"On the ground!"

Lightning felt a familiar jolt of electricity run through her body and found herself lying on the dirt ground. She glanced at the spot where Lumina stood, only to see that the girl had disappeared. She escaped without anyone even noticing.

What was she?

XXX

Lightning's cell was what she expected it to be.

Small, plain, and uncomfortable.

Inside the cell, there was a bunk bed, a toilet, a sink with a dirty mirror sitting above it. That was it.

There were no windows. The only light in the cell was the small one above the mirror.

Lightning sat on the edge of the rock-solid bed, staring at concrete wall. She had claimed the bottom bunk while her cellmate took the top.

She did not want to associate at all with the woman she was forced to live with. She was not here to make friends. If the woman stayed out of her way, she will stay out of hers. It was as simple as that.

Luckily, the woman was gone at the moment.

The ex-soldier's eye gazed down to the floor where the bag she was given when she first arrived lied. She had yet to see what was inside. She grabbed the bag and dumped its contents on the bed. A fairly thick book fell out, along with a piece of candy and necessities like soap. No towels though.

She picked up the book, examining it. The cover of the book read: "L'Cie Wonderland Inmate Handbook."

Upon reading this, she raised her eyebrow before thinking: _"What kind of prison has an inmate handbook? This place is crazy."_

Realizing she had nothing else better to do, Lightning decided to skim of few pages of the book. She flipped open the book and shuffled the pages before stopping randomly.

The title of the page read: "Cast Points."

Her eyes gazed down the page.

_"Cast Points are L'Cie Wonderland's form of currency. Everything in L'Cie Wonderland must be purchased with Cast Points."_

The rest of the page discussed what can and cannot be purchased with Cast Points.

_"Things that can be bought with CP: Candy – 100,000 CP, Clothes – 50,000 CP, Cigarettes – 60,000 CP, Alcohol – 70,000 CP…"_

The list went on.

Seeing the word "Candy" on the page caused her to glance at the piece of Candy that sat on her bed. According to what the Chief Guard told them, if she didn't take that Candy every three days she will die. That was how the death row inmates were dealt with in L'Cie Wonderland. She only had one piece. If she didn't get more soon, she will die in six days. And that could not happen. She needed to find a way to get more.

She flipped the page.

The next title read: "How to earn Cast Points."

There was a list of activities that allow the inmates to earn Cast Points. Each item on the list had a description about it.

_"The Dog Race Show – An obstacle course in which the winner wins 100,000 CP."_

She read the rest of the list but the "Dog Race Show" seemed to be the one that interested her the most. Especially, since it had the largest Cast Points reward and was the price of a piece of Candy. Looks like she didn't have much of a choice. She was going to have to play to their stupid game if she wanted to find a way out of here.

XXX

The next day, Lightning walked briskly down the dim hallway, heading towards the place where the Dog Race takes place. As she walked, she noticed a boy shuffling ahead of her. The closer she got, she realized the boy was the one she had pinned to the wall when she first arrived at the prison.

"Hey, kid." She called out to him.

The silver-haired teenage boy quickly turned around then froze when he recognized her. "D-Don't hurt me…"

Lightning rolled her eyes as she reached him. The boy didn't seem like the usual trash in this prison. He didn't really belong. What could a kid his age do to land himself in prison? He was just a teenager.

"Shut up, I'm not going to hurt you. What's a kid like you doing in here anyway?"

The boy's eyes shot to the floor and he shifted nervously. "I-um-stole a lot of things…"

Lightning crossed her arms, raising her eyebrow slightly. For some reason, she found that hard to believe. She doubted a boy as frightened and nervous as him could steal something valuable enough to be placed in L'Cie Wonderland. But, why should she really care? He was an inmate just like everyone else in this prison. Just because he was young and seemed weak doesn't mean she should treat him any differently.

Saying nothing else, Lightning began walking. She had a race to get to.

"Wait!" The boy shouted causing her to turn around, looking at him with slight irritation.

"What?"

The boy looked back down, avoiding eye contact with her. "My name is Hope, by the way." He glanced up with his light blue-green eyes. "What's your name?"

Lightning let out a sigh. "Lightning. Now, I have to get to the Dog Race."

Hope's eyes widened as if he was surprised. "You're competing in the Dog Race?"

"Yeah, why are you so surprised?"

The boy paused for a second, opening his mouth to tell her something before quickly shutting it. He shook his head. "No reason! Good Luck, Lightning!" He blurted out before scurrying off in the opposite direction.

Lightning looked puzzled. "What the hell?"

She had come to the conclusion that no one in this place was sane.

Shrugging off the boy's bizarre behavior, Lightning made her way to the Dog Race.

XXX

Lightning stepped into the Dog Race Show locker room. No one was really changing or locking anything up. They were in prison after all. They didn't have that many belongings on them. The room was used more as a place to wait for the race to begin than an actual locker room.

Finding an empty spot, she decided to just lean against the lockers and wait for the race to begin.

"Claire!"

Lightning glanced up only to see Lumina skipping over to her. "Lumina?"

Lumina put her hands on her hips, amusement in her eyes. "I see you're entering the Dog Race, huh? That makes two of us."

"You're racing too?"

The girl grinned. "Of course I am! I can't let you do it alone!"

Lightning's eyes narrowed at the girl. "You never told me exactly who you are. How do you know me?"

Lumina leaned in closer to her, a sly smirk on her face. "Not telling you. Guess you're just going to have to remember on your own."

"_The Dog Race Show is about to begin. Contestants, please make your way to the start line."_ The voice over the intercom announced.

"You're annoying." Lightning muttered to Lumina before heading out the locker room.

Lumina just giggled as she followed the woman out the door and to the race starting line.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Another chapter done! Yay.

Now, I need some help. For those who have watched or know something about Deadman Wonderland, you probably know that Deadmen have their own unique way of manipulating their blood (Branch of Sin). I've been thinking about what Branch of Sin I want Lightning to have but I can't really decide because I want to it to be different than the original. So, if you have any ideas for what power she should have, I would love to hear them.

And be sure to leave me some feedback! I would love to know what you think about the story!

18Rox


	3. Dog Race Show

"Ready...Set…Go!" The voice over the intercom boomed through the air of the stadium as one of the lights above the Dog Race starting line illuminated green.

With that, the inmates were off.

Lightning sprinted down the course, getting a fairly good lead on the rest of the contestants which was something she had expected. She was much more fit than most of the inmates she was going against. She was a trained soldier after all.

As she neared the first obstacle, she glanced up. Over the section of the race course was a red steel frame. The beams were spaced out fairly far apart to allow the path to remain visible. But, there was something that caught her eye. Near the top of each side of the large frame were two giant blades that were attached to the structure with heavy chains.

"Are those-" She started to mutter to herself with her eyes looking up, not noticing the male inmate that managed to catch up and pass her up slightly.

Then with her military trained ears, she heard a faint click. The two giant blades unlatched from the frame and swung down from above them. The blades caught the man who was just inches in front of her, slicing him to pieces, splattering his blood all over her.

With wide eyes, Lightning stumbled backwards in shock, the inmate's blood dripping off her face.

"Shit!" She exclaimed as her heart beat pounded against her chest. That was close. If she had ran any faster, she would've been the one in pieces right now.

5 sets of the deadly blades swung like pendulums above the course, slicing the other inmates that attempted to sprint through them, adding to the large amount of body parts and blood that covered the platform. As every inmate was killed, the crowd went wild. It was as if they enjoyed watching them die.

"What the _fuck _is this?" Lightning spat out as she watched the madness in disgust.

It was just insane. There was an entire audience that cheered when one of them was sliced to pieces. Sure, most of them were criminals but that doesn't mean their gruesome deaths should be seen as entertainment. They weren't circus animals. But, that didn't seem to matter to them.

This must have been the reason that Hope kid was so surprised she was entering. He must have thought she wasn't going to come back alive. He could've at least warned her…

"What's wrong, Claire?" A familiar pink-haired girl skipped passed her before twirling around to look at her, her hands behind her back and a mischievous smirk on her face. "You scared?"

The ex-soldier glared at Lumina. "Never."

Lumina grinned. "Well, see you on the other side then!"

The girl then skipped off towards the massive swinging blades, gracefully dodging them as if she was dancing. She made it look like it was nothing.

Frustrated, Lightning wiped the blood off her face with the sleeve of her jumpsuit and rushed after Lumina. As she neared the first set of blades, she tried to time it just right. The best time for her to run across would be as soon as the blades swing through. She waited for the right moment before she sprinted through the blades' path. The blades had swung back down much quickly than she had anticipated. Seeing the blade coming from her peripheral vision, she swiftly rolled forward to dodge it. The edge of the blade caught her shoulder, slicing a fairly deep cut through it. She hissed but kept going. Adjusting her strategy slightly, she continued through the obstacle until she reached the end.

And there was Lumina, with her arms crossed and pouting with slight impatience. "You took long enough."

Lightning rolled her eyes, stopping in front of the girl. "Well, no one told you to wait for me."

"Let's go!" Lumina said as she ran off again, seeming to ignore her.

Lightning sighed before following her down the path of the course to the next obstacle. To the sides of the course, were machines that shot arrows at the contestants. A few of the inmates in front of them were picked off by the arrows that rained down on them. One of the inmates to the side of her tripped and fell into one of the giant holes in the path, only to fall onto an electric platform that practically fried his body on impact. The vile stench of burnt flesh filled the air, causing Lightning to grimace.

Hearing and seeing arrows coming towards her, Lightning juked to the side to avoid them. She glanced over at Lumina who was avoiding the arrows with ease. How could she do that? She was just a child. How could she perform better than her, someone who had been trained for years?

"What is she?" Lightning muttered as she watched the girl.

An arrow digging into her thigh quickly knocked her out of her thoughts.

"Fuck!" She yelled in pain as she grabbed the end of the arrow that was embedded in her leg. She needed to work fast. She wouldn't be able to move if she didn't take it out. She let out a breath before she yanked out the bloody arrow with a holler and threw it aside.

She needed to pay attention. She couldn't make a mistake like that again. She could die. And that could not happen. She needed to live for one reason: get her revenge on the man that killed everyone she cared about. Nothing else matter.

Limping slightly, Lightning rushed down the course to the next obstacle, which was to cross a pit of poison by jumping on the soft ball-like platforms were sitting near the top of the pit. It almost reminded her of a playground - minus the pit of poison at the bottom.

"This is ridiculous." The woman huffed as she jumped on the first ball, almost falling because of how unstable it was. She leaped to the next one, managing to land fairly solid on it. Once she got the hang of it, Lightning breezed through it.

Lumina glanced behind her to look at Lightning and shouted, "Almost there!"

Lightning followed Lumina up the ramp to the end of the course, which she assumed to be the finished line. When she reached the tiled platform, there was another inmate there as well. He was large, almost double her size, but also very solid. When he noticed her, he flashed her a sick grin which Lightning responded with a cold glare.

"Now, it's time for the final stage!" The announcer exclaimed as the words "Final Stage" appeared on the large screen in front of them.

Lightning crossed her arms with a huff at the announcement. "Just how long is this stupid race?"

"The rules are simple: Whoever holds the L'Cie ball at the end, wins! Ready. Set. Go!"

The last round began very abruptly. The L'Cie ball, which was just a soft black ball with the L'Cie Wonderland logo on it, was thrown into the air. Lightning and the man quickly glanced at each other before taking off towards the ball as it bounced across the platform. Seeing the man coming to her right, Lightning dodged his incoming fist and tripped him, causing him to slam into the ground.

With him out of the way, Lightning grabbed the ball. She stood there for a second, somewhat confused. The announcer said whoever has the ball at the end will win. But, when is the end? She turned to the screen, expecting to see some kind of countdown but found that there was none. If there was no time limit, then how can it end?

Then the man managed to climb back to his feet and began to run towards her. Lightning took off in the opposite direction, the ball tucked against her body. She glanced behind her and saw that the squares tiles she ran over had vanished, revealing the large sharp spikes that lie below. Her eyes shot over to the man, noticing that the tiles he ran across never disappeared.

"I see one of the contestants as realized the power of the L'Cie ball! When someone has the ball, the tiles they run across disappear, exposing the deadly pit of spikes beneath them! Whoever falls into the pit obviously loses!" The announcer explained with excitement.

Now understanding the rules of the game, Lightning knew what she had to do. She waited for the man to run closer to her. When she saw him begin to leap at her, she jumped to the side, causing him to miss and the tile that was once beneath her to vanish. The man's eyes widened as he fell towards the hole. But, he managed to catch the edge of the platform with his fingertips, stopping his fall before he tried to pull himself up.

Noticing this, Lightning placed the ball down next to her and headed towards him. She placed her foot on the fingertips of his right hand and began to crush them under her grey slip-on shoe. The man shouted in pain and fear as he started to lose his grip. His pleading eyes shot up at Lightning but the woman's eyes did not show any mercy. Her aqua eyes were cold and detached. Before long, the man's finger tips slipped and he fell backwards in the pit, a giant spike penetrating his body, killing him instantly.

Lightning stood there for a second, staring at the man's lifeless body as it slumped onto the bloody spike, before frowning. She glanced down at the L'Cie ball before collecting it in her hands.

"And we have a winner!" The announcer shouted, his voice echoing through the stadium and the crowd going wild.

"Guess you're not so weak after all."

The ex-soldier turned towards the childish voice to see Lumina stepping towards her with a smirk on her face.

"What makes you think I was?" She questioned, practically glaring at the girl. "And where were you? Weren't you supposed to be competing too?

Lumina waved her off, skipping around her. "Oh, no reason! And I forfeited." The girl stopped, giving her playful smile. "I think you need those Cast Points much more than I do."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Oh, how considerate of you." She responded with sarcasm before turning her head, watching the audience begin to leave.

"Anything for you, sis."

Hearing this caused Lightning to gasp slightly, her eyes widening. She twirled around but Lumina was nowhere in sight. It was as if she had completely vanished.

Those words reminded her of Serah. Her hand drifted to her chest and tightly clenched the fabric of her green uniform. Thinking about her younger sister, made her heart ache. She was gone. Her only family left - that she swore to protect - was gone. It was still hard to believe. She had practically raised her since their parents died. But, their deaths were a blur to her now. She could barely remember them. It had been such a traumatic experience that she completely blocked it from her memory. At the time, she wanted to be strong for Serah. So, she pushed it all away – thinking only about making life normal for her sister and protecting her.

And she had failed.

Tragedy was just something she could never escape.

XXX

The sun's intense rays beamed down on Lightning as she sat on a bench in a courtyard she managed to stumble upon while wandering through the prison. It wasn't huge but it was somewhere to go when you needed fresh air. There were a few benches scattered on the concrete paths - patches of bright green grass on each side. It was just a small uncovered space in the prison.

There weren't many people out on the courtyard. Perhaps, it was because of the heat. It was extremely hot and humid. But, it wasn't like the cells were air-conditioned. It was probably better to be outside where there was a slight breeze than be trapped in a tiny cell full of hot air.

Wiping the beads of sweat that gathered on her forehead with her sleeve, Lightning sighed heavily as she leaned back on the bench and closed her eyes. "So damn hot…"

It never got this hot in Bodhum. Her home sat right on the beach so there was always a cool ocean breeze. The weather was comfortable. Not too hot. Not too cold. That was probably the reason Bodhum was such a tourist spot. It was one of the few places on Cocoon that stayed nice all year round.

But, this place was not like Bodhum at all.

After getting tired of baking inside the heavy long-sleeve jumpsuit, Lightning hastily unzipped it down to her stomach and pulled off the sleeves, letting the top of the suit drop to her waist, revealing the black tank top she wore underneath.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she leaned back again, her toned arms behind her head. "Much better."

"Lightning!"

The ex-soldier huffed in irritation after hearing her name. She was just starting to relax.

Opening her eyes and glancing towards the voice, Lightning frowned. It was Hope. The boy waved as he headed towards her. She was seriously not in the mood to talk to anyone. She just wanted a little peace and quiet. Something she thought she would be able to get plenty of in prison.

"What do you want?" Lightning said with an irritated tone.

Hope smiled slightly. "I was walking through here and saw you so I just wanted to say 'hi'."

"Well, 'hi.' Now, leave."

Instead of leaving, the boy sat next to her on the bench. "I heard you won the Dog Race yesterday. Congrats."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. No thanks to you. You seemed to know that the race was just a public mass murder."

Hope cringed slightly, his eyes focusing on the concrete. "Sorry, about that. I guess I should've warned you..."

"Whatever." Lightning responded before shutting her eyes again.

Talking about the Dog Race, made her think back to the final round. The man's fearful eyes as she crushed the fingers that gripped the edge of platform. She didn't know what had come over her to make her act so coldly. She had killed a few people when she was in the Guardian Corps so she had no problem with killing. But, what she did was cruel. What was this place doing to her? Or is it just uncovering a part of her that has always been there?

"Hey, Lightning."

Growling, Lightning sat up and glared at the boy. "Look, don't you have somewhere to be?"

Hope shrugged. "No, not really. We are in prison, you know?"

Lightning sighed again, leaning forward and holding her head up in her palms. "How old are you anyway?"

"14."

The woman's shot toward the boy, her eyebrow raised. "Seriousl-?"

"AGH!" She suddenly yelled out in pain, the excruciating burning sensation in her chest causing her to clutch it tightly.

Seeing this, Hope sprang up from the bench with his eyes wide. "Lightning! Are you okay!?" He never moved. He just stood there, not knowing what to do.

Lightning fell off the bench and collapsed to her hands and knees - a hand still on her chest. She struggled to breathe. Sweat dripped from her face to the concrete.

She hadn't felt pain like this since-

The Green Man's smirking face flashed across her vision, causing her to clench her fist.

"L-Lightning! W-What's that!?" She heard Hope stutter in fear.

Wincing from the pain, Lightning raised her head to glance up. And when she did, all her pain just vanished, her mind completely blocking it out as rage filled her body.

At the other end of the courtyard, a person floated a few inches over the concrete. A person who Lightning could easily recognize. The green and white armor. The swaying white cape. The green painted metal mask. And that wide sadistic smirk.

Lightning's jaw clenched tightly, her eyes showing nothing but pure anger. "You fucking murderer!" She screamed as she pushed off the ground with her foot and dashed towards him. Before she could get any closer, the man raised his arm, and with a flick of his wrist, extremely strong blast of wind - surrounded by those familiar crimson streaks - shot towards her. The gust blasted the dirt and benches in the courtyard away. Lightning was thrown backwards - her back slamming onto the concrete.

"Lightning!" Hope shouted but Lightning ignored him; she was focused.

The ex-soldier climbed to her feet, only a few scratches covering her body. "I won't let you get away this time." She growled, her fists clenched so tightly that blood dripped from them.

The burning feeling her chest returned with greater intensity. She cried out, a hand returning to her chest. Panting, she glared at the man with fury. The smirk never left his face.

He was going to pay!

"AHHH!" Lightning roared as she sprinted towards him.

She cocked back her fist as she neared him. But, in her blind rage, she failed to notice that blood from her palm began to rise into the air - the crimson streaks wrapping around her forearm, floating just above her skin. When she was just inches from the man, she flung her fist forward, her blood darted towards him – sparks of electricity escaping from it. Her fist slammed into the man's face, sending his body flying backwards into the side of the building - leaving a streak of electricity in his path.

Lightning's eyes widened in shock. She glanced at her bloody hand that was still sparking of electricity. "W-What the hell was that?"

She had no idea what happened. Just as she punched him, her blood struck him as if it was a strike of lightning. How can that even be possible?

The sound of rumbling rocks caused her eyes to shoot up to look at the cloud of dust covering the pile of rubble in front of her. The man stepped out of the dust - looking completely unharmed, only a few scratches and scraps on his armor.

Lightning's face fell. "You've got to be kidding me…"

The man's smirk widened before he floated into the blue sky.

"Don't you run away from-! " Lightning started but then her body became weak. Her knees gave out and she plummeted to the ground, her chest slamming on the concrete. She watched as the Green Man flew away, her eyes growing heavy. She reached up with a shaking hand, attempting to trigger her ability.

"Damn…it." She muttered in defeat as her arm dropped and she fell unconscious.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Hey guys. So, I finally updated.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad you're liking the story so far! And, thanks for those who suggested some powers that Lightning could have! I decided to go with an electric-type ability. I think it fits her pretty well.

Anyway, reviews are always welcome (and appreciated!) so it would be awesome if you let me know what you think about the story!


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Final Fantasy XIII, Adventure, Drama